Friday Food News

No doubt, the biggest nutrition news of the week was the reporting on a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that seemed to extol praises on a low-carb diet for weight loss and reducing heart disease risk. Although I encourage you to read beyond the headlines and take a look at the excellent response from Dr. David Katz, which was picked up in this great opinion piece in New York Times. Even though the study did not conclude that we should eat a lot of meat and pour on the fat, I’m afraid the findings will be fodder for Paleo followers. I liked this follow-up article from the New York Times reporter that wrote the earlier article on the study: New answers about carbs and fat. I’m afraid people are more confused than ever.

I thought this list of New York City culinary trends was fun. Predictions include pig and fish collars, free house-filtered water and seafood charcuterie such as Oceana’s lobster terrine and smoked gravlax.

The American tea market is now over $10 billion and growing. Black tea is the most popular type, but consumption of lesser-known teas such as rooibos and white tea is growing the fastest. Coffee demand has remained fairly stagnant, indicating some consumers may be replacing it with tea.

Millennials have different priorities than previous generations when buying food, according to a Food Marketing Institute report. They are more likely to shop and make shopping lists at the last-minute, and they are more likely to base those lists on specific recipes. The report also shows that more consumers are concerned about the sources of the food they buy and the ingredients in the items, compared with a 2007 survey.

Fortune and sister publication Food & Wine have identified the top 25 women who influence the way we eat and think about food. The list features CEOs, Founders, philanthropists, TV Hosts, Producers and more. Noted women include Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, Giada De Laurentis, Gina Gallo of Gallo Winery and Kim Jordan of New Belgium Brewing, among others. See article for the full list.

Vegetables are taking a starring role in today’s trendy desserts such as pureed beet cake, kale gelato with cinnamon and sweet corn ice cream. “I think people are more open to trying unusual flavors,” said Lisa Bachman Jones, head baker at Fido in Nashville, Tenn. “Our vegetable cakes and muffins have been really popular.”

Carrots’ nutrient content, naturally sweet flavor and versatility are making them the darling of trendy restaurant menus. Chefs are pureeing, roasting and caramelizing the root vegetable to create side dishes, condiments, appetizers, ice cream and doughnuts.